Nova Scotia Cuba Association

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Cuba Denounces USA for Preventing Actions Against Israel
Cuba denounced the US and other western nations on November 30 at the United Nations for preventing the Security Council's condemnation of Israel because of Israel's illegal actions and crimes against the Palestinian people.

There is enough proof, argued the Cuban delegation, for the Council to adopt not only political but also binding decisions to stop Israeli crimes and to sanction those responsible. it "reveals the hypocrisy and double standard of some developed countries" and their self-proclaim human rights paradigms that this is not so. The document criticized the passivity and lack of action of the Council in the face of Israeli actions and wondered why crimes against the Palestinian people were not sanctioned.

The issue of Palestine,first included in the agenda of the Assembly 64 years ago, but Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people continue and the occupation of Palestinian territory has not been reverted. Cuba supports the cause of the Palestinian people to defend their rights and Palestine´s entry as a full member of the UN. Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez had stated already last September the inescapable moral, political and legal obligation to guarantee the recognition of the new Palestine State,the Cuban delegation reiterated the point again during this meeting. 

Palestinian Ambassador Thanks Cuba for its Expressions of Solidarity
 The Palestinian ambassador to Havana, Akram Samhan, in his visit to Ciego de Avila and during a meeting between students from both countries at the University of Medical Sciences because of the celebration of the International Day in Solidarity with Palestine, highlighted  the solidarity shown by the Cuban people and its government for his nation and its struggle for the right to be free and independent.

Samhan explained that, every day, fraternity and support towards Arab peoples struggle to achieve peace in the region, and for the right of refugees to return to  their countries, increases. Cuba has always offered help to Palestine, he said, an example of this are the more than 600 Palestinian youngsters who have graduated from Cuban  universities. At present, he added, some 160 Palestinians are studying at Cuban universities. It will be their responsibility to contribute to the construction of their new nation, he said. It is important to note, he explained, that more than 85 percent of the nations of the world favor the Palestinian cause even though discrimination against Palestinians continues.  

Washington: Int´l Conference of Experts Advocating for Cuba

Analysts, professors and politicians from different countries met in Washington to analyze what they consider Cuba´s arbitrary inclusion in the list of nations "sponsors of terrorism."  The main sponsors of the seminar are the Latin America Working Group and The Center for International Policy (CIP). The event took place at the National Press Club's Zinger Room in Washington D.C

Since 1982, the U.S. government arbitrarily inserted Cuba in the controversial list of nations "sponsors of terrorism." This was at the request of the then Secretary of State Alexander Haig and was ratified by a resolution from President Ronald Reagan.

The current event, mainly academic in nature as it was sponsored by two U.S. think tanks that have clear positions regarding the improvement and normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations, included among the lecturers Wayne Smith, former U.S. diplomat in Cuba and CIP analyst, Robert Muse, of Muse and Associates Company, and Havana University professor Carlos Alzugaray. Also expected are Sarah Stephens, of the Center for Democracy in the Americas, and Arturo Lopez, linked to the Josef Korbel International Studies School, University of Denver. What is very significant is that Cuban delegates were included, such participation was prohibited for the past nine years. In the previous seminar which took place in February 2010, Muse referred to the dangerous legal consequences emerging from the Washington resolution in view of the lack of evidence for keeping Cuba in the mentioned category.

CELAC, Common Space for Agreement...

Caracas, Nov 29 (Prensa Latina) Cuban ambassador to Venezuela Rogelio Polanco stated on Tuesday that the birth of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will be a common space for agreement, based on complementarity and regional integration.

Interviewed by Toda Venezuela program, the Cuban diplomat stated that the coming event, which will be attended by 33 regional nations on December 2-3, show those peoples' willingness to join a common space where they could debate the genuine thing of each country.

In that sense, Polanco stated that Latin America is experiencing new times and a clear example of that is the strengthening of relations between Venezuela and Colombia, after a meeting carried out on Monday between those countries. They signed many accords to contribute to integration and the economic and social development of both states.

Polanco insisted on the importance of regional unity to face those global challenges, of a social and economic nature, to face food, economic and environment crises that engulf the developed countries and of which developing nations are not exempt.

The Cuban ambassador said there will be some attempts to weaken that unity process and there will be many challenges, "but the most important thing is we have that approach. The language of wars and confrontation cannot be imposed, because we are a peace zone, free of nuclear weapons."

The fact that the birth of CELAC is in this capital has a great importance, this being where the idea of independence of the American peoples emerged through Simon Bolivar, stated Polanco.

Cuban Medical Collaboration in El Salvador Lauded

San Salvador, Nov 29 (Prensa Latina) Salvadorian Health Minister Maria Isabel Rodriguez described Cuba''s medical collaboration, included in one of the most important social programs of the government, as excellent.

Rodriguez told Prensa Latina that a group of Cuban experts are advising local authorities on the implementation of the Comprehensive Health Reform as part of an agreement that involves the Pan-American Health Organization and whose first stage concluded on December 1.

Questioned about the collaboration from Cuban health experts, Rodriguez immediately responded that it was excellent. The work of the Cuban medical team was praised by President Mauricio Funes on July 20, when attending the inauguration of a Health Community Team (ECOS), the foundation of the Reform, in the northern city of Arcatao.

Rodriguez noted that she had met with the three Cuban advisors working in the development of the Health Reform, and recalled that the program also benefits residents of neighbouring Guatemala and Honduras.

Cuba: Forum on Alternative Media and Social Networks 

A forum convened by the Cuban Foreign Ministry to discuss the role of alternative media and social networks took place in the Convention Center in Havana. It began with a speech from the Deputy Foreign Minister Ana Teresita Gonzales who emphasized the importance of the issue in current policy settings and international communications. Delegates from 12 countries participated including representatives from Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Organizers hoped the forum be a space to share experiences and strengthen America's efforts in entering the global communication scenario. 

 Spanish Tour a Success for the Cuban National Ballet

Prima ballerina Alicia Alonso described as successful the three-month tour through Spain by the Cuban National Ballet, company she founded and heads. After her arrival from Spain Alonso offered a press conference at the Jose Marti National Airport where she shared about the warm welcome the company received from the Spanish audiences and of the coverage  they received from mass media.

She praised the performances of the members of the company in sold-out theatres, and the energy and discipline of the new dancers, despite the rigours of the tour that took them to 29 Spanish cities.

They all felt gratified by the shows of love and respect in every theatre, and the experts appraisals of the academic training of the dancers, who played several roles in each performance, she added. The doble characterization by each dancer is unusual in these times in the ballet world.

She proudly showed the World Theater Ambassador title she was presented with at the Calderon Theater in the city of Valladolid; and spoke of the Spanish street named after her.
 “It was very beautiful to see the new company members dance and the requests we received for teachers.” Cuban dancing style is something that draws attention abroad, she added.

Four members of the National ballet have been selected among the top 100 ballet dancers in the world: Viengsay Valdés, Alejandro Virelles, Dani Hernández and Osiel Gounod. But she expressed her disappointment when stars as Anette Delgado and Sadaisi Arencibia were not selected, showing a clear preference for male leading dancers something she dubbed "unfair."
   

International Choral Festival

 in Santiago de Cuba

Groups from Colombia, Venezuela, the USA and Finland participated, along with some of the best from the Caribbean island, in the  International Choral Festival in Santiago de Cuba. Choral concerts were scheduled for the Dolores Hall, the Esteban Salas Conservatory,  the old Chapel of Saint Basil the Great, and the Cespedes Park. Once again, the Santiago Choral Society (Orfeon de Santiago), the legendary group founded  51 years ago by Maestro Electo Silva, was the host of this fiesta of vocal music that run until December 4.

Cuba: Strengthening Fight against Cancer

 Cuba has strengthened the fight against cancer through the development of a broad and successful biotechnological branch aimed at achieving therapeutic vaccines and diverse treatments to counteract the disease which is the second cause of death in Cuba. Annually 18000 people die of cancer in Cuba and every year there are 28000 new cases. 

Cuban scientists have widen the national production of anti-neoplastic and complementary drugs and created new biotechnological products. Local researchers confirm that Cuba has potential to avoid more than 10,000 new cases per year mainly using prevention programs, which already play a significant role. There is a higher incidence rate of this disease due to alcoholism, smoking, and bad feeding habits.

Last week Cuba and China signed joint agreements in the field of biotechnology for the development of vaccines and other biomedical products, and these agreements include bilateral prevention, early diagnosis, and cancer control actions.

Cuba is also moving forward cooperation programs with Brazil to produce cheaper medicines for world markets -if compared with prices imposed by the international pharmaceutical industry, and without decreasing the products' quality.

Havana: Int’l Conference on Biotechnology 

The International Conference Biotecnologia Habana 2011 took place at the Center of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (CIGB) in the Havana. Cuba has the most advanced biotechnological industry of all developing countries, “with almost 150 registered patents,” said the president of the event’s organizing committee, Carlos Borroto, during the opening
session of the meeting that was attended by Jose Ramon Fernandez, vice president of the Council of Ministers, and Jose Miyar Barrueco, minister of Science, Technology and the Environment.

Richard J. Roberts, a British Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, and Marc Van Montagu from Belgium and one of the pioneers in the field of molecular biology in plants, were the Presidents of Honor of the event.

Around 600 specialists involved or interested in the application of biotechnology in the agricultural sector attended the event. The president of the organizing committee for the event, Carlos Borroto argued that “improving food production and distribution is an urgent need for the world and particularly for Cuba” and “this improvement necessarily has to go hand in hand with sustainable development and in harmony with the environment.” 

Van Montagu pointed out that one of the greatest challenges of humanity is to preserve biodiversity and the ecosystem while trying to feed a world population of more than seven billion people. “In order to succeed in this endeavor, it is essential to redesign the traditional systems of production, to implement biotechnological techniques with responsibility, and to count on the political will of the governments of the world,” he explained.

Van Montagu criticized the stance some non governmental organizations have taken rejecting or regarding as dangerous the advances in the biotechnology sector. In this sense, Van Montagu explained science gives new opportunities to explore and find solutions to global problems.

During the Commercial Fair eleven Cuban and foreign companies participated.  Cuba's progress in the growing of genetically-modified maize hybrid was presented at the International Conference of Biotechnology. The crop, the result of an alteration on the plant’s genes and the combination with other corn varieties, is able to resist pests and Cuban weather conditions better than any other variety according to experts from the Havana-based Genetics Engineering and Biotechnology Center hosting the event.

20th International Chemistry Conference in Santiago de Cuba

The 20th International Chemistry Conference took place in Santiago de Cuba on December 6-9 with the participation of more than one hundred representatives from eleven countries.

Renowned personalities such as Doctor Santiago Vicente Luis Lafuente, from the Universitat Jaume I of Castellon, Spain, and Professor Luis Echegoyen, from the University of Texas, participated discussing topics such as Sustainable Chemistry and Nanochemistry.

The event’s program included lectures by doctors Luis Alberto Montero and Roberto Cao, both from the University of Havana, and by Rosa Catalina Bermudez, of the Center of Industrial Biotechnology Studies at Santiago de Cuba’s Universidad de Oriente.

The triennial meeting was first held in 1964, born as a space to exchange knowledge and experiences on the development of chemistry research in Cuba mainly in the mining and sugar industry sectors. On this occasion, representatives from Germany, Angola, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela, the United States and the Dominican Republic were in attendance.


 

 The Money the US Uses for Terrorist Actions against Cuba, by Assad Shoman

Havana, (Prensa Latina) While the US government is applying measures to reduce expenses in transport, technology and publicity by 20 percent, other US entities authorize funds to promote and finance actions against our country.

  After criticizing the lack of work of the US Congress to fight the economic problems in this northern country, President Barack Obama signed an executive order on November 9 granting US government institutions a time limit of 45 days to prepare a saving plan.

However, while several sectors make cuts, the evidence on how many initiatives to favour subversion against the Cuban people and leaders are financed is every time greater, in a place like the US, in which demonstrations are daily multiplying against the economic system and unemployment.

A recent example occurred in October, when the United States Agency for International Development prepared a festive activity to celebrate in advance the award of the 2011 Peace Nobel Prize to counter-revolutionaries of Cuban-origin Oswaldo Paya and Oscar Elias Biscet, which they took for granted was going to happen. It didn´t.

For this objective, a total of 250,000 dollars were approved for several activities developed by the US Interest Office in Havana, such as the printing of 100,000 T-shirts with the faces of Paya and Biscet on a background with the national flags of Cuba and the US and a phrase saying "The Time Has Come for Cuba."

The complementary gifts included balloons, small flags, watches, key rings, suits for the celebration, allegorical bracelets, and of course, payments to selected journalists to cover the event, which never really took place, since they never won the prize.

The budget also included suits to wear at the prize ceremony for the two fellows, who have for years dedicated themselves to promote plans of destabilization against Cuba, encouraged by functionaries of the Washington administration.

The real Nobel Prize winners were Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (President of Liberia), Liberian Leywah Gbowee, responsible for non-governmental organization Women Peace and Security Network Africa and Yemeni activist Tawakkel Karmen.

The organized and financed actions from the US national territory against Cuba have been denounced for years by the Cuban authorities and silenced by the great communications media of the US.

However, on occasions US institutions have themselves admitted that they have financed projects for what they call the "fostering of democracy."

As part of this assistance, only for the 2011 fiscal year, the US administration approved 62 million dollars destined to political, social and communication media interference in Cuba. That represented 34 percent over the 2010 statistics.

Although the US has 14 million unemployed people, and 46 million people living below the poverty line and constant protests because of the failed economic system, the so-called "assistance to Havana" is constantly growing.

In what does that "assistance" consist? USAID money is dedicated to reinforce the work of the US Interest Section Office in Havana and the Cuban Affairs Office, in charge of managing the US policy towards Cuba from the US Department of State.

Almost half of the 62 million dollars annually is distributed between Radio Marti and Television Marti, which broadcast towards the Caribbean island in violation of the regulations established by the International Telecommunications Union.

For the year 2012, the US government proposed to use another 20 million dollars to widen projects to "foster freedom in Cuba", mainly through USAID.

Those funds are mainly managed by US companies and organizations, fundamentally based in Florida, and contribute to anti-Cuban groups with money and equipment that need only fulfil the requirement of being opposed to the Cuban government.

In the month of June, USAID published three tenders for plans linked with the freedom of expression and information, and for support to the Cuban civil society, in sums totalling 21 million dollars.

The agency said it would destine 6 million dollars to projects to facilitate free access of Cuban citizens to information, using traditional media and new technologies.

Another six million dollars would go to programs to foster freedom of expression and association in young people between 12 and 24 years of age.

The remaining 9 million dollars would be used to make members of local communities, neighbourhoods and other groups conscious of their rights and civic responsibilities, develop leadership abilities and prepare them to participate fully in democratic development.

But while the capital dedicated to actions against Cuba is increasing, according to 2010 data published by the US Census Office, in percentual terms, the poverty rate in the US is the highest since 1993, with 15.1 percent.

According to the statistical data of the National Poverty Center of the University of Michigan, it will take 6 or 7 years for the poverty rate to go back to the level it had in 2000, when a percentage of 11.7 was reported.

The statistic data revealed that the average home annual income decreased by 2.3 percent, reaching 49,445 dollars, and the number of US inhabitants without medical insurance is over 50 million.